FUJIFILM X-T1 (21.4mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)

There is one more thing to see when you are in Albuquerque. Rattle Snakes!

The old town is home to a rattle snake museum. As a seasoned traveller I know that most of this small, private museums are not exactly spectacular so I didn’t expect a lot when I entered. But of course I was wrong. This is a very impressive place. I expected a couple of snakes in ugly tanks but what I saw was a huge variety of rattle snakes of all sizes and colors on nicely color matched sand and stone.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO6400)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/4.5, 1/250 sec, ISO12800)

Take a look at the EXIF data above. It’s ISO 12.800 and it still looks great. Because of the fast movements of the snake I was forced to shoot at this high ISO to freeze the motion. But for whatever reason that only Fuji knows you are not allowed to shoot RAW at this setting. When shooting RAW ISO only goes up to ISO 6.400. Not enough in some situations. This what I love about my Ricoh GR. ISO goes up all the way to ISO 25.600 no matter if I shoot RAW or JPEG. This is one of the things Fuji should change when they finally upgrade to a new sensor. Please give me the freedom to chose the highest ISO setting when shooting RAW. I can deal with a slightly noisy RAW file but I can’t deal with a smeared JPEG.

I shot all but one image with the kit zoom which handled very nice. AF feels faster than on my prime lenses and most of all it is noiseless. The main reason I used the zoom was to be flexible and to be able to zoom in to avoid to stress the snakes.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)

But beside the one in the high ISO shot the snakes didn’t looked stressed at all. They were just laying there relying on their camouflage. Some of them were really good. Scaringly good. The one party buried in the sand and especially the one below. I just hope that those snakes have much better senses than me and just disappear when I stamp around in the desert.

I want to come back one more time to the kit lens, the Fuji XF 18-55/2.8-4 OIS. I know that I was not too positive about it a couple of times. Mostly because I think it should start at 16mm and should be a tad longer too but I think also because I compare it to my primes which of course is not fair. But even though its range might be a little limited this is a fine lens. It is very well made, it is small and the weight is very reasonable too. It is a little faster than most kit lenses which allows some subject isolation and it is sharp. In short: It is a good lens. Same is true for the Rattle Snake Museum in Albuquerque. Compared to other small animal museums it is very good. I recommend to take a look but don’t blame me if you are less comfortable on your next walk through the desert.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (30.2mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO640)